Written Answers Wednesday 24 May 2006

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were admitted to acute hospitals when their primary or secondary diagnosis was an alcohol-related condition and what proportion these admissions were of the (a) total number of admissions and (b) population, broken down by NHS board in the last three years for which data are available.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is published by ISD and copies are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39647).

  Figures on the number of people discharged from Scottish acute and general hospitals with a diagnosis of alcohol misuse, as a percentage of the total number of people discharged and as a percentage of the population are shown in table 1.

Alcohol Misuse

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many males aged (a) 14 to 16, (b) 17 to 19 and (c) 20 to 22 suffered from chronic alcohol dependency in each year since 2000, broken down by NHS board area.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is published by ISD and copies are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39645).

  Table 1 provides a breakdown of the number of males aged (a) 14 to 16, (b) 17 to 19 and (c) 20 to 22 discharged from Scottish acute and general hospitals with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in each year since 2000, broken down by NHS board area.

  Table 2 provides a breakdown of the number of males aged (a) 14 to 16, (b) 17 to 19 and (c) 20 to 22 discharged from Scottish mental illness hospitals and psychiatric units with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in 2000-01 and 2001-02, broken down by NHS board area.

  Information for later years is not yet available.

Alcohol Misuse

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many females aged (a) 14 to 16, (b) 17 to 19 and (c) 20 to 22 suffered from chronic alcohol dependency in each year since 2000, broken down by NHS board area.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is published by ISD and copies are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39646).

  Table 1 provides a breakdown of the number of females aged (a) 14 to 16, (b) 17 to 19 and (c) 20 to 22 discharged from Scottish acute and general hospitals with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in each year since 2000, broken down by NHS board area.

  Table 2 provides a breakdown of the number of females aged (a) 14 to 16, (b) 17 to 19 and (c) 20 to 22 discharged from Scottish mental illness hospitals and psychiatric units with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in 2000-01 and 2001-02, broken down by NHS board area.

  Information for later years is not yet available.

Ambulance Service

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25540 by Mr Andy Kerr on 10 May 2006, what ambulance cover has been available in each town in Aberdeenshire and Moray in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: The following two tables show the ambulance stations based in the NHS Grampian area, which covers Aberdeenshire and Moray, and whether they were on full-time or on-call working patterns since 1999.

  

 Station
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002


 Aberdeen
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time


 Elgin/Forres
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time


 Buckie
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Banff
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Keith
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Dufftown
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Tomintoul
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Ellon
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Inverurie
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Peterhead
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Fraserburgh
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 Full-time


 Huntly
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Aboyne
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Alford
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Stonehaven
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Braemar
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Banchory
 n/a
 n/a
 Full-time
 Full-time



  

 Station
 2003
 2004
 2005
 2006


 Aberdeen
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time


 Elgin/Forres
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time


 Buckie
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time


 Banff
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 Full-time (trial)


 Keith
 On-call 
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Dufftown
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Tomintoul
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Ellon
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Inverurie
 On-call
 On-call
 Full-time
 Full-time


 Peterhead
 On-call
 On-call
 Full-time
 Full-time


 Fraserburgh
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time


 Huntly
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Aboyne
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Alford
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Stonehaven
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Braemar
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call
 On-call


 Banchory
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time
 Full-time



  The following table shows the number of paramedics and technicians working across the NHS Grampian area since 1999.

  

 
 Paramedics
 Technicians


 1999
 67
 95


 2000
 72
 90


 2001
 77
 90


 2002
 83
 87


 2003
 98
 103


 2004
 98
 103


 2005
 107
 95


 2006
 107
 110

Deaf and Hard of Hearing People

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are deaf or hard of hearing.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Executive. The Royal National Institute for the Deaf (Scotland) estimates on its website that there are 758,000 deaf or hard of hearing people living in Scotland.

  www.rnid.org.uk/about/in_your_area/scotland.

Dentistry

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many citizens use dentures as (a) full or (b) partial replacement for their own teeth.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm that 18% of all adults in Scotland have no natural teeth, that 21% have partial dentures and that 39% of the population need to access denture services.

Lewis Macdonald: The UK Adult Dental Health Survey (1998) reported that 20% of adults had both natural teeth and dentures, and that 18% had no natural teeth.

  Self-reported information in the most recent Scottish Health Survey (2003) indicates that an estimated 7% of females and 5% of males in Scotland have no natural teeth.

Dentistry

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive who in Scotland makes and fits dentures and how it expects amendments to the Dentists Act 1984 will affect the making and fitting of dentures.

Lewis Macdonald: There are technicians who are currently making and fitting dentures, but this practice is illegal. Legally, dentures are fitted by dentists and made by dental technicians to the dentist’s specification.

  However, a new registered professional – a clinical dental technician – will, under the new legislation to be made later this year under the Dentists Act 1984 as amended, be able to make and fit dentures.

Dentistry

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what training programmes are available in Scotland to allow practising denturists to register with the General Dental Council to continue to make and fit dentures; how much these training programmes cost and how long it takes to complete the courses, and how many denturists will be affected by amendments to the Dentists Act 1984.

Lewis Macdonald: Only dentists, dental hygienists and dental therapists can currently undertake the practice of dentistry and training programmes are in place for them. The General Dental Council is currently working with educational providers on additional training for dental technicians who wish to pursue clinical dental technician roles. There is no reliable information available on the number of denturists currently practising illegally.

Dentistry

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has carried out on the effect of amendments to the Dentists Act 1984 on the manufacture, supply and fitting of dentures in Scotland and whether any such analysis has been, or will be, made publicly available.

Lewis Macdonald: No assessment was made of the possible impact of the amendments to the Dentists Act 1984  on the making and fitting of dentures by a dental technician, as such practice is illegal.

  The Dentists Act 1984 was amended in 2005 to provide for the future regulation of further professionals complementary to dentistry, in addition to the present professionals regulated by the General Dental Council, i.e. dentists, dental therapists and dental hygienists. One of the new professionals for which regulation will be introduced shortly is the clinical dental technician, who will be able to make and fit dentures once registered. At the same time regulation will also be introduced for dental technicians, dental nurses and orthodontic therapists. The new amendments to the 1984 act were made in the interests of patient safety and to enable these staff to make an increasing contribution to the dental care of patients.

Dentistry

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many complaints have been officially recorded in relation to the manufacture, supply and fitting of dentures by non-NHS denturists in each of the last five years.

Lewis Macdonald: No information is available on this. The making and fitting of dentures by a dental technician is illegal as only dentists, dental hygienists and dental therapists may currently undertake the practice of dentistry. There is no formal mechanism for complaints by patients regarding the illegal practice of denturism.

Dentistry

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it agrees with the Association for the Promotion of Denturism’s statement that the independent denture supply sector is "the one dental sector which is not currently in trouble" and that "due to the rise in tooth decay and the difficulty many are experiencing in seeing a dentist, numbers of full or partial dentures are set to rise steeply in the next few years".

Lewis Macdonald: Declining trends in total tooth loss indicate that the number of full dentures required in future is likely to fall considerably rather than to rise.

  As more people retain some natural teeth into older age, the complexity of treatment required will increase. Restoration of missing teeth is likely to include a range of potential treatments, including partial dentures, bridgework or implants. Therefore, there is no clear indication of whether the number of people with partial dentures will rise or fall.

Dentistry

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average values are of individual allowances for dentists with a gross income of £25,000 who qualify for extra commitment payments.

Lewis Macdonald: The definition in relation to the enhanced allowances for NHS committed practices states that the practice must treat all categories of patients and have on average a minimum of 500 registered NHS patients per dentist, of whom at least 100 must be fee-paying adults. Each dentist in the practice must have on average a minimum of £50,000 gross NHS earnings. Part-time dentists may fall into this earning bracket via a declaration process that deems them to be committed. Otherwise, general dental practitioners who are part of a practice that does not meet the NHS commitment criteria will not receive enhanced allowances.

Environment

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many discharge consents the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued for treated sewage effluent into Loch Ness in each year since 1999 and what the reasons were in each case where a discharge consent was relaxed.

Rhona Brankin: This is a matter for the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. The information requested is not held centrally.

Epilepsy

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider the model of the Wales Epilepsy Research Network with a view to establishing a similar network in Scotland to build on the work already done in Scotland through the managed clinical networks and whether the Executive will foster collaborative research between Scotland and Wales to assist our understanding of epilepsy.

Lewis Macdonald: We would be happy to consider the Wales Epilepsy Research Network, in the context of on-going cross-border work on long-term conditions.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any consents have been issued to permit genetically modified trees to be grown in Scotland.

Rhona Brankin: No consents have been issued to permit genetically modified trees to be grown in the open environment in Scotland.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any genetically modified trees being grown in Scotland and, if so, what functionality any modifications have been designed to provide.

Rhona Brankin: Genetically modified elm trees are being grown under contained conditions by scientists at the University of Abertay. These elms have been genetically modified for fungal resistance which the aim of providing protection against Dutch Elm disease.

Justice

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23974 by Colin Boyd QC on 10 April 2006, whether any material evidence relating to the murder of Marion Ross in Kilmarnock in January 1997 has been misplaced or lost.

Colin Boyd QC: I am not aware of any material evidence relating to the murder of Marion Ross having been misplaced or lost, other than the material referred to in the answer to parliamentary question S2W-23974.

Justice

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been of motorists for using hand-held mobile phones while driving, broken down by police force area and sheriff court.

Colin Boyd QC: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Case Management Database records details of the charges against each accused in terms of the specific common law or statutory offence that is alleged to have been committed.

  The following table shows the total number of charges for contraventions of Section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (which relates to driving a motor vehicle whilst using a hand-held mobile phone) where the charge was reported to the Procurator Fiscal between December 2003 and April 2006 and led to a prosecution in either the sheriff court or the district court.

  Prosecutions: Driving a Motor Vehicle Whilst Using a Hand-Held Mobile Phone

  

 Police Force Area
 Procurator Fiscal Office
 Prosecuted in Sheriff Court
 Prosecuted in District Court


 Central
 Alloa
 7
 25


 
 Falkirk
 5
 106


 
 Stirling
 5
 50


 Central Total
 17
 181


 Dumfries and Galloway
 Dumfries
 9
 18


 
 Kirkcudbright
 4
 9


 
 Stranraer
 6
 16


 Dumfries and Galloway Total
 19
 43


 Fife
 Cupar
 1
 1


 
 Dunfermline
 2
 35


 
 Kirkcaldy
 0
 13


 Fife Total
 3
 49


 Grampian
 Aberdeen
 16
 82


 
 Banff
 1
 2


 
 Elgin
 2
 10


 
 Peterhead
 0
 17


 
 Stonehaven
 2
 5


 Grampian Total
 21
 116


 Lothian and Borders
 Duns
 0
 3


 
 Edinburgh
 29
 159


 
 Haddington
 2
 10


 
 Jedburgh
 1
 1


 
 Linlithgow
 6
 43


 
 Peebles
 1
 7


 
 Selkirk
 3
 9


 Lothian and Borders Total
 42
 232


 Northern
 Dingwall
 0
 3


 
 Dornoch
 1
 0


 
 Fort William
 2
 6


 
 Inverness
 1
 32


 
 Kirkwall
 0
 0


 
 Lerwick
 1
 0


 
 Stornoway
 0
 2


 
 Tain
 1
 4


 
 Wick
 2
 1


 Northern Total
 8
 48


 Strathclyde
 Airdrie
 6
 36


 
 Ayr
 5
 65


 
 Campbeltown
 0
 2


 
 Dumbarton
 7
 74


 
 Dunoon
 1
 5


 
 Glasgow
 23
 336


 
 Greenock
 4
 40


 
 Hamilton
 31
 166


 
 Kilmarnock
 12
 68


 
 Lanark
 2
 14


 
 Oban
 0
 6


 
 Paisley
 18
 93


 Strathclyde Total
 109
 905


 Tayside
 Arbroath
 0
 19


 
 Dundee
 14
 114


 
 Forfar
 2
 10


 
 Perth
 5
 166


 Tayside Total
 21
 309


 Grand Total
 239
 1,883



  Notes:

  1. The information in this table has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Case Management Database. The database is a live, operational database used to manage the processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies.

  2. The figures for prosecutions in the district court include prosecutions in the Stipendiary Magistrates Court in Glasgow.

Mental Health

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25427 by Lewis Macdonald on 8 May 2006, why no complete data on psychiatric discharges are available for 2002-03 to 2004-05.

Lewis Macdonald: Implementation of a new electronic data collection system resulted in incomplete data sets being recorded for the period 2002-03 to 2004-05. Work is underway now with all NHS boards affected to resolve this position.

Planning

Murray Tosh (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will identify all wind farm applications which have been granted consent within the area covered by the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Structure Plan, under the powers delegated to ministers by the Electricity Acts, since the publication in September 2003 of the Joint Committee’s proposals for Wind Energy: Preferred Areas and Sensitive Locations , now incorporated within the consolidated structure plan, and whether it will identify those sites granted approval since September 2003 which are not located within the preferred areas indicated in the consolidated structure plan.

Allan Wilson: Scottish ministers have granted consent for two wind farm developments located within the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Structure Plan (draft 2006) potential areas for wind energy development. These were Blacklaw, which is entirely within a potential area for development, and Whitelee, partly within such an area. No other proposals have been granted consent.

Planning

Murray Tosh (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) representations it has made, (b) discussions it has had and (c) correspondence it has exchanged with (i) the British Airports Authority and (ii) National Air Traffic Services Ltd in relation to (1) the objections which the consultees lodged to the proposed wind farm at Corlick Hill in Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park and (2) any conditions which might be attached to a consent, which would allow the consultees to withdraw their objections.

Allan Wilson: The Executive has made no representations and there have been no discussions about the objection by BAA plc, dated 2 September 2003, to this wind farm proposal. Correspondence between the Executive and BAA on this matter has been restricted to an e-mail from the Executive and an e-mail reply both also dated 2 September 2003.

  There have been informal discussions between the Executive and BAA plc, most recently in March this year, about the latter’s position on a number of wind farm proposals in the area, including the Greenock wind farm proposal, during which the question of conditions that would address BAA’s concerns has been discussed.

  National Air Traffic Services Ltd has not objected to the proposal and there have therefore been no discussions or correspondence between them and the Executive on this matter.

Prison Service

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the forward business plan for the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) will be available.

Cathy Jamieson: I have agreed the Business Plan and key performance measures proposed by SPS for the period 2006-08. The SPS Chief Executive, Tony Cameron, has written to the Justice Committees to provide them with copies of the plan which is also available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39664) and on the SPS website at www.sps.gov.uk .

Public Bodies

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what regulations and guidelines are in place governing the secondment of the employees of public bodies to the private and independent sectors.

Mr Tom McCabe: There are no specific regulations governing the secondment of staff from the Scottish Executive to outside organisations. The Scottish Executive’s policy and procedural documentation is based on the UK wide Cabinet Office Good Practice Guide (September 2000). The Scottish Executive produced its own interchange policy and guidance HR Interchange-Way Forward in October 2004. A second edition was released in April 2006. The document is available in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Bib. number 39655).

  For the purposes of answering this question the response is based on the position in the Scottish Executive only. The Scottish Executive does not hold information relating to other public bodies.

Renewable Energy

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive who the members are of the Fisheries (Electricity) Committee.

Rhona Brankin: The membership of the Fisheries (Electricity) Committee is as follows:

  Mr James Cockburn (Chairman)

  Dr Susan Walker

  Dr D Trevor Crisp

  Mr John Webb

  Mr Gordon Jubb

  Mr Nick Mardall.

Renewable Energy

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Fisheries (Electricity) Committee publishes guidelines to the developers of proposed hydro-electric schemes in relation to the criteria which the committee apply when assessing such schemes.

Rhona Brankin: The Fisheries (Electricity) Committee issues guidelines, containing the criteria that they apply to applications, annually to all developers of proposed hydro-electric schemes.

Renewable Energy

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are applied by the Fisheries (Electricity) Committee when advising ministers of the impact of proposed hydro-electric power schemes on fisheries.

Rhona Brankin: Whilst the Fisheries (Electricity) Committee do not advise Scottish ministers to approve or reject proposed hydro-electric schemes, they do provide recommendations on how damage to fish and fisheries might be prevented or minimised. I have arranged for copies of the guidelines that contain the criteria to be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39648).

Renewable Energy

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many proposed hydro-electric power schemes the Fisheries (Electricity) Committee has advised ministers to (a) approve and (b) reject in each of the last five years.

Rhona Brankin: The Fisheries (Electricity) Committee have been asked to provide recommendations on proposed hydro-electric developments in each of the last five years as follows;

  

 2001
 1


 2002
 4


 2003
 5


 2004
 2


 2005
 4



  To date, the Scottish ministers have approved nine and rejected one of these schemes.